Growing Pains
by percyjacksonfan135
Summary: HP PJ cross over. AU. 9-year-old Harry has been brainwashed to act younger than he really is by his uncle Vernon at the age of seven. Petunia doesn't know what's going on until it's too late. Can a 16-year-old Percy help him? Nice Petunia, Abusive Vernon, All American, no demigods or wizards. Read and enjoy! Rated T for abuse.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: all recognizable characters from the Harry Potter and Percy Jackson universe belong to their rightful owners, and no money is being made. Author's note: the idea of age regression came to me while I was reading several stories on the website and I thought I would try one of my own. Please bear with me as I have never done an age regression story before, so I may need some help with how to do it properly.

Chapter 1:

Nine-year-old Harry Potter was lying motionless on his bed; starving, weak, and soaking wet! His uncle, Vernon Dursley, had beaten the boy within an inch of his life all because he had wet himself. But the only problem with this was that Vernon Dursley loved to mess with his nephew's head for his own personal gain. His favorite thing to do with the nine-year-old was to make him act and talk much the way an infant would. And if at all possible, Dudley would join in and assist his father with brainwashing his cousin into thinking that he was much younger than he really was.

No one really knew how long this had been going on; not even Petunia, Vernon's wife. She knew that it was going on, but not to the extent that her husband and son were doing it. She only knew because one day when she came home from work, which happened to be the Children's Hospital in New York City, Vernon and Dudley were gone and she found her nine-year-old nephew lying in Dudley's old crib with a bloody nose and a soaked diaper. Petunia also saw that Harry's thumb was in his mouth and it looked as though it had been sucked raw.

Petunia Dursley felt utterly helpless when she saw her nephew in that condition. She felt terrible that she didn't recognize the signs sooner and she was bitterly wishing that she had come home earlier. Petunia didn't know what else to do except to try and help her nephew as much as she could. "Oh Harry, my sweet, sweet nephew," Petunia muttered to herself, "I am really sorry sweetie; I should have come home earlier. What would Lily say if she saw her child so broken? For that matter, what would our brother-in-law Poseidon say about this? I really need to call him and our sister needs to know about this as well." Lily Potter was Petunia's younger sister and Poseidon was their brother-in-law. He and their sister Sally would drop by occasionally to see Petunia, but her husband was not anyone they ever wanted to meet again. In fact, that was one of the many reasons why Poseidon hardly ever visited his sister-in-law. He loved her very much, but he could never change her mind about whom she loved and so he and Sally just stopped going over there. Little did they know that once they had stopped visiting, someone else in that house had suffered greatly.

But that was over two years ago, and things were much worse than before. Harry had been seven years old at the time and now that he was nine years old, he had been brainwashed to the point where he truly thought he was a baby and he had been conditioned to speak only when spoken to and he was only allowed to use baby language. If he didn't, his uncle would hurt him. The nine-year-old wasn't even allowed to scream if he was in pain. In fact, he wasn't really allowed to do anything at all. But today was different.

For some strange reason, everyone had left the house, including Mrs. Dursley, and nobody was home with Harry at all. This is what brings us back to him lying in the middle of the kitchen floor with several bruises, his thumb in his mouth, and a swollen diaper. His Uncle Vernon had made sure that would happen before everyone left, and he made his wife leave the house before she could rescue him. But Mr. Dursley didn't know that the 16-year-old Percy just happened to be walking by the house just after the car drove out of sight.

It was a nice morning, so 16-year-old Percy Jackson thought he would take a walk around the various neighborhoods just to get some exercise and fresh air. It was almost the end of the school year for him, so Percy had to take a lot of tests in order to go into the next grade up. He was going to be a junior next year and he didn't want to flunk out of high school before his graduation. Anyway, Percy's walk around the neighborhood turned out to be more interesting than he had expected.

He didn't know what was going on, but some instinct told Percy that someone was in some very real trouble and desperately needed help. Percy didn't want to think about whom that might be, but he had a very funny feeling that he already knew who that was. His cousin, Harry Potter, was much younger than he was, but he was already nine years old; the age at which he would already have been in third or fourth grade, depending on whether or not he was held back in kindergarten. Percy thought that his younger cousin was an extremely cute kid with a lot of hidden issues, but who didn't have issues? Right? Percy did not know his cousin very well, but his parents had explained to him that when Harry was one-year-old, his own parents had been killed in a car crash. Percy did not know about the abuse or anything like that, but whenever he saw his cousin, he tried very hard to love him and understand him.

Harry was practically unconscious, so he did not see his cousin walking past the window, nor did he hear the sound of a key turning in the lock. Just because his parents didn't visit didn't mean that he couldn't. In fact, it was his aunt Petunia who had given him a key to the house just in case he would ever be needed their. And today he was definitely needed. The key that Percy had for this house was to the back door, so when he opened the door, Percy had entered the kitchen and when he did, he received the shock of his life!

All that Percy could do was stare open mouthed at the sight that lay before him. On the floor, his body battered and bruised, was Percy's nine-year-old cousin, Harry Potter. Some of the wounds were still bleeding and by the looks of it, the little boy was unable to move. Another shock was the strong scent of urine that assaulted Percy's nose. He knew that his parents had stopped coming over here, but he had no idea just how bad the situation really was until now. He thought about calling Petunia, but he thought it would be too risky, so he called his parents instead. They weren't therapists, but they certainly knew how to deal with learning disabled children, so they were the best people to talk to at the moment. When Percy's father answered his office phone, Percy said, "Dad, I am really sorry, but you and Mom need to come over to Aunt Petunia's as soon as you can! It's Harry; he's been hurt badly!"

So how did you like it? Any ideas on how to make it better?


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: all recognizable characters belong to Rick Riordan and J.K. Rowling respectively.

Chapter 2:

Percy didn't know how long he had stayed with his cousin, but he somehow knew that it had seemed like a very long time. He knew that the younger boy was hurting, but he was unsure of whether or not to move him. So for now, Percy settled with using a warm washcloth and some Neosporin in order to clean out some of his younger cousin's deeper cuts. Harry winced in pain but did not or could not say anything. He was also a little bit scared because someone was kneeling next to him. Harry was never allowed to scream, but he could not help the small whimper of pain that escaped his lips.

Percy looked at his cousin sympathetically. "I know it hurts," he whispered gently. "We are almost done." Percy wasn't sure if his little cousin was able to hear him or not, but he wanted to make sure that the nine-year-old knew and understood that he wasn't there to hurt him; only to help. It took a long time, but Percy was finally able to bandage the rest of the cuts. He was also about to check his younger cousin over for broken bones, but that question was answered for him when he saw that the nine-year-old's arm was bent at an odd angle. "Ouch! That looks like it hurts!" Percy thought to himself. "I sure wish that Aunt Petunia would get here soon; this kid is in worse shape than I originally thought." The acrid smell of urine still lingered in Percy's nose, but he ignored it for the time being as he had no experience with changing diapers. His younger brother Tyson was also a teenager, so that didn't give Percy much experience in the way of caring for someone with needs as unique as his cousin's. Something was terribly wrong, and Percy had no idea how to fix it.

Just as he was about to give up and do something else, his aunt Petunia finally came in through the front door. She was a little surprised that her older nephew was there, but at the same time, it was she who had asked if he could check up on the nine-year-old for her whenever he could. Petunia Dursley smiled when she saw Percy and she gave him a big hug. "Oh my goodness! Percy, it is so nice to see you! But I thought you had school today?"

Percy smiled at his aunt and answered, "this weekend is Memorial Day weekend, so I don't go back to school until Tuesday." And then with a grave look on his face, Percy changed the subject to his cousin. "Look, Aunt Petunia, the reason I came over here was because I somehow knew that Harry was in some real trouble. I found him lying here in the middle of the kitchen floor with several cuts and bruises plus a broken arm. Not only that, but he's soaked and I don't really know what to do about that. I don't know if he'll even let me do anything else right now. I cleaned and bandaged his cuts, but that's all. Do... do you think we could get him to the hospital? He doesn't look healthy at all."

Mrs. Dursley regarded her older nephew thoughtfully and then she made up her mind. "Percy, let me take care of your cousin first and then you and I need to talk about some things. I know that your parents had explained some of the reasons for not coming over here anymore, but I feel that you are old enough and responsible enough to understand the whole story. As it is still early, your uncle will not be home for a few hours yet, so I am going to tell you a story that sort of explains your uncle's strange behavior these past two years." Then without hesitation, Mrs. Dursley quickly ran upstairs to grab a few things and then proceeded to come back to the kitchen with them. Since Harry had a broken arm, he could not move, so Mrs. Dursley had to carefully maneuver some old towels under him so that she could do her job. Percy did not want to watch, but he found himself going into shock at just how much pain his little cousin was in. The nine-year-old was whimpering constantly and it broke Percy's heart to see him in so much pain and unable to do anything about it.

When he felt it was safe, Percy asked tentatively, "Aunt Petunia, exactly how long has Harry been like this?"

Mrs. Dursley looked up from her task to meet the warm and concerned gaze of her older nephew. She knew that he loved Harry with all of his heart and that it bothered him when his little cousin was hurting in any way. "Well, I suppose it all starts with when your parents finally stopped coming over here to visit. You have to understand, Percy, that I, your aunt Lily, and your mother are sisters. You already know of course that your Aunt Lily and Uncle James were killed in a car crash when Harry was just one year old. They were hit by a drunk driver and were killed instantly. I agreed to be his guardian of course, but my husband did not want him in the house at all. But because I refused to give him up, your uncle Vernon decided to take matters into his own hands. When he thought I wasn't looking, he did all sorts of things. Your uncle starved, beat up, and even locked your cousin in the kitchen cupboard. I didn't like it and there were several times where I almost called the police, but I couldn't. When your parents were here visiting, Vernon was downright unpleasant, but your little cousin loved your dad. Your dad was the only uncle who had ever shown any kindness toward him. I was a little worried at first because Harry was already seven years old and he was beginning to fear other men but your dad was different. He somehow made your little cousin feel safer; don't ask me how. But the reason your parents stopped coming over here was because Vernon and Dudley were both starting to brainwash Harry into thinking that he was younger than he really was. Your parents had no idea what to do other than to try and stop the process, but it unfortunately made it worse. But, now I'm afraid that when they stopped coming over here, it completely ruined your cousin's mind. I had no idea that Vernon was doing this to him. I fear that I was too late." And to Percy's surprise, his aunt was crying and he reached out and hugged her.

"No, I don't think it's too late," Percy said gently. "All we need to do is to get him to the hospital. They can help him better than I can." But at the mention of the hospital, the nine-year-old began to thrash around and he suddenly grabbed onto his cousin's hand as if it was his lifeline. He moaned again to show how much pain he was in and looked up at Percy with dull green eyes. "Harry, it's okay, we're here to help you. Calm down." It took a long time, but finally Petunia, Harry, and Percy were in the children's ward of the main hospital, and when Vernon came home, he was not a happy camper.


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters that belonged to Rick Riordan orJ.K. Rowling.

Chapter 3:

As I said before, when Vernon came home later with Dudley, he was not a happy camper. He had specifically told his wife that no matter what the circumstance was, she was not allowed to take the boy anywhere without his permission. This of course included school, doctors appointments, and going to the hospital. For whatever crazy reason, Mr. Dursley truly enjoyed seeing his nine-year-old nephew in a lot of pain. He believed that if Harry was kept in enough pain, he would be able to be controlled more easily. So when Mr. Dursley went to find his nephew and found his room empty, he grew even angrier than before.

Dudley, meanwhile, was slightly sick from everything he ate that day. He was extremely overweight, which explained some of his sluggishness, but the other reason was because Vernon had taken his anger out on him. Apparently, it was Dudley's job to make sure that his cousin didn't get any sort of help from anyone; not even Petunia. This was very difficult as Dudley truly loved his mother and father equally. However, Dudley had a lot of Vernon's personality within himself, so he often acted before he thought about the consequences. Tonight though, Dudley was the one receiving the punishment that Harry would have otherwise received.

Mr. Dursley was going crazy! His face was purple with rage as he practically screamed at his nine-year-old son. "You were supposed to be watching for any signs that your cousin is getting any sort of help! Why didn't you do this? And don't give me the excuse that you were in school!" And then without warning, Vernon punched Dudley in the stomach repeatedly until Dudley had thrown up his double cheeseburger.

For the first time in many years, Dudley wondered if what he was doing was the right thing. He might have only been nine years old, but his mother had definitely taught him right from wrong and he was starting to feel a little bit guilty. His cousin did not deserve to be treated like that, but whenever his father was around, Dudley felt like he had to keep pleasing his father so he only did what he thought he could.

Meanwhile at the hospital, many people were bustling in and out of different rooms; some were even carrying food trays as it was dinnertime. Petunia and Percy were sitting in the waiting room; Harry had already been admitted. It was very difficult at first, as the nine-year-old was in a lot of pain and freaking out. Percy felt terrible for his cousin. He knew what it felt like to have broken bones, but what he didn't understand until Mrs. Dursley told him the story was that Vernon had purposely broken the child's bones for his own pleasure. He still didn't understand a whole lot about everything else that was going on, but Percy tried very hard to do so. He loved his family and he hated it when anyone was suffering.

It seemed like forever, but in reality, it was only about 10 minutes later when a doctor called Percy and Mrs. Dursley into Harry's hospital room. The doctor was young; only about 29 years old or so and he had a very bright smile. As far as Percy could tell, the doctor smiled a lot unless it was a very serious case, which it was this time. The doctor introduced himself as Dr. Apollo and he informed the two family members that his twin sister, Artemis was the young man's nurse during the night. "Dr. Apollo looked at Mrs. Dursley apologetically as he said gently, "I am very sorry, Mrs. Dursley, but your nephew would not allow us to do anything with him until we sedated him. I know this is incredibly difficult for you to hear, but your nephew may need diapers for the rest of his life because of what had happened to him. He also has a nasty infection, so I gave him some antibiotics to help clear it up. Your nephew will have to stay here for a few days so that we can monitor his condition. Right now, your nephew's condition is critical, so we want to keep an eye on him." Then Dr. Apollo sighed heavily and added, "there is another thing that concerns me a great deal about your nephew. He is nine years old, but his brain activity is showing that he is only functioning at infant level, which means that he is not talking at all. And if he is, it is only when someone speaks directly to him. And even then, it is usually only one or two word sentences."

Mrs. Dursley sighed heavily. "I was afraid of this," she said sadly.

Then as if Percy was reading his aunt's mind, he asked the question that she had been afraid to ask. "What can we do about this? Is there any way for my cousin to get better?"

Dr. Apollo smiled and answered, "yes, as a matter of fact there is. It seems as though your cousin has gone back in time, because the only words that come out of his mouth are' mommy and' daddy. My twin sister thinks that it has something to do with whatever happened to him when he was little and she and I feel that your cousin could benefit from something called regression therapy."

Nephew and aunt looked at each other hopefully, but they were a little fearful as well. "Will this hurt him?" Petunia asked apprehensively. "I don't want his mind to be even more damaged than it already is."

Dr. Apollo smiled gently. "On the contrary. Harry is so far back in time that with the right people and the right conditions, he might be able to grow up all over again without the negative feelings that he has been forced to feel ever since he was one year old. I can understand your hesitation to do this type of therapy because it doesn't always work for everyone the way it's supposed to. However, in your nephew's case, as long as he has the right support he should be all right." And then turning to the 16-year-old, Dr. Apollo said, "and you, young man, since you were the person to find him, your cousin will probably cling to you for a little while. But don't be alarmed by this; it's only natural for an abuse victim to trust only one person at first."

Percy smiled at that. "Is that why the poor little guy went nuts after I left the room?" He asked.

"I wouldn't doubt it," Dr. Apollo said gently. "Now, I have the name of a qualified therapist who can work with Harry on a weekly basis. He understands that the little guy won't be able to talk very well just yet, but he will be able to explain the benefits of regression therapy a little better than I can as he has used it with many trauma patients."

As that was going on, the Jackson parents and Tyson were getting ready to go to the hospital to visit Harry. As soon as Sally came home from the candy shop, Poseidon told her about Percy's phone call and how worried he was. Poseidon Jackson was not the type to get angry easily, but if anyone messed with his family he turned into angry mama bear quicker than quicksand. And although Poseidon hadn't seen his younger nephew in over two years, he still loved him and he worried about him constantly. So, now the family was heading over to the hospital because Petunia had called a few minutes ago to let them know of the situation and that Percy was with her; keeping his cousin company.

Back in Harry's hospital room, the nine-year-old was starting to stir. He had wet himself again without even realizing it, but at the same time, it was really painful. For the first time in his life, the nine-year-old began to scream. Everyone was startled, but weren't surprised. Percy rushed over to his cousin to see what was wrong with him and to his surprise; the little boy was repeating only two words. "Wet, hurts!" Tears were streaming down his face as he screamed. Harry knew that he was not allowed to scream, but this was too much for him and he couldn't help it. "Wet; hurts!"

Percy lowered his hand so that the nine-year-old could hold on to it. It wasn't that Harry was blind; it was more so that his little cousin could feel safer. "Hey little one," Percy whispered to his cousin, "it's all right; you will be all right. Can you look at me?" Maybe it was Percy's imagination, but he thought he saw his little cousin's emerald green eyes trying to focus on his own sea green ones. "Just calm down," Percy said gently, "no one will hurt you."

Then Dr. Apollo approached the teenager and said gently, "young man, I may have to sedate your cousin again because he needs to be changed, but he won't let me or Artemis do anything with him otherwise. You may stay with him so that you can learn what you need to do for him once he gets home from here." And then without hesitation, the young doctor punched the call button for his twin sister Artemis to help him as he gave the little boy his sedation shot.

It was incredibly difficult to watch, but everyone in the room understood that it was necessary for now. Percy never realized that he was still holding his cousin's hand, but he found that he didn't mind one little bit. It was oddly comforting to see and feel his little cousin's hand in his own. Percy understood that his cousin truly needed him right now and he wasn't going to give up on him.

And when his parents came with Tyson, both sisters immediately began to cry and Petunia finally broke down and asked Poseidon if he knew of any good lawyers because she wanted to get a divorce from her husband. "Poseidon, you were right; I should've listened to you when I had the chance. I was just young and stupid and I didn't think about the consequences until it was too late."

Poseidon reached out and hugged his sister-in-law. "Petunia," he said gently, "I won't say I told you so because I realize that this is incredibly difficult for you. I will do what I can and if you need to, you and Harry may stay at our house until you get back on your feet."


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: all characters that you recognize belonged to Rick Riordan and J K Rowling. No money is being made and no copyright infringement is intended. Author's note: first of all, I would like to point out a few things. This story is an alternate universe story, which means that the characters of this story are not necessarily following Canon. If you don't like that, I'm sorry, but this is my story, and I don't appreciate it when people put me down for my writing. Writing for me is like a form of therapy, but it will no longer be that way unless people stop picking on me for what I write and the way I write it. So guests, I am talking to you specifically. Now, let's get on with the story.

Chapter 4:

Harry had been in the hospital for at least a week, if not longer. He had more than just his broken arm to worry about. He not only had a broken arm; he also had a few cracked ribs and his bladder had been damaged beyond repair. It was very difficult for Percy to see his little cousin in that condition, and he almost cried at the sight of all of the tubing around him. In truth, the nine-year-old was very lucky to be alive and breathing on his own.

The little boy was almost constantly sedated now because it was difficult for him to trust anyone unless it was either Percy or his Uncle Poseidon. Out of those two people, Harry trusted them the most. It was unclear why Harry trusted Poseidon, but yet he did. It was understandable that the nine-year-old trusted his older cousin though because Percy had found him in that condition and actually helped him instead of hurting him.

While Harry was in the hospital, he met with a therapist named Dr. Lupin. Dr. Lupin did not meet with him right away though because he wanted to get a better understanding of what had really happened so that he could treat the child in the best way he knew how. So, the therapist met with Mrs. Dursley and the rest of the Jackson family first. He asked several questions that surprisingly Percy knew all of the answers to. And he only knew because Petunia had told him everything previously. When Dr. Lupin asked Mrs. Dursley the same questions, she told him everything but she was tearful and very frightened. "Mrs. Dursley," Dr. Lupin said gently, "there is no need to be frightened. I am well aware of your husband and what he had done. I know this is incredibly difficult for you, but please, I need to know everything so that your nephew can get the help that he needs."

Petunia was shaking but she nodded her consent and asked, "about the regression therapy; I know that Dr. Apollo explained as much as he could, but I need to know if this will hurt my nephew in any way. Because to tell you the truth, I am afraid that this type of therapy will make him worse instead of better. What are the benefits of this therapy, and how does it work?"

Dr. Lupin smiled and answered gently, "your nephew will be just fine. As Dr. Apollo has already explained to you, your nephew's mind has already gone back in time in order to escape the trauma he has already suffered at the hands of your husband. I can certainly understand your hesitation, but there is really no need to worry. Regression therapy does not work for everyone, but for those whom it does work for, it can do wonders for a person. In the case of your nephew, I will be working with him on reinforcing positive feelings into his mind and allowing him to enjoy a happier childhood. Also, since your nephew is no longer talking in proper sentences, he will also be working with a speech therapist to retrain his brain to recognize full sentences and use them in his vocabulary. Now, here's my card, and if there are any changes or if any of you have any questions at all, feel free to give me a call."

Poseidon had been very quiet, but he was also listening to what the therapist was explaining. So it was a surprise when he spoke up and asked, "and what, exactly what my wife and I be doing for Harry? I mean, once he gets out of here he can't really go back to Vernon's house."

Dr. Lupin smiled again and answered, "you are absolutely right, Mr. Jackson. He can't go back into that dangerous environment. In fact, you and your family will be very important to Harry's recovery process. What your nephew needs more than ever is someone who will love him unconditionally and without question. He needs to know that adults are and can be trustworthy, and he also needs to know that he is not worthless. You and your son are alike in many ways, and I can tell that your son cares deeply about his cousin. All I want from you and your wife is to love your nephew and support him when things are difficult."

Meanwhile, Percy was on the phone with his best friend Annabeth. They weren't dating or anything, but they were almost like brother and sister because as much as they cared about each other, they also fought with each other. Percy was frustrated with her because when he tried to explain why he hadn't returned her phone calls, she simply refused or didn't understand the seriousness of the situation at hand. She knew of course that he had a younger cousin who had been abused, but she truly did not understand how serious the situation really was. She wanted to come to the hospital and surprise him, but Percy told her not to. Annabeth got a little bit angry at that and said, "fine! I won't give you my notes tomorrow then."

"Annabeth, knock it off!" Percy hissed into the phone, "you are my best friend, but sometimes you just frustrate me. The reason you can't come to the hospital is because I am here with my family, and my little cousin is badly hurt and he needs me right now. It's nothing personal, it's just that I don't think Harry is going to trust you right now; he's been through a lot."

When Percy hung up his cell phone, he saw his younger brother Tyson waving at him by the soda machine. When Percy went over to him, Tyson asked, "I take it she still doesn't believe you then?" Tyson dug through his pockets and eventually found enough quarters to buy him and Percy a soda each. Handing his brother one of the unopened sodas, Tyson walked over to one of the benches in the middle of the hallway and sat down upon it. Percy sat next to his younger brother and for a few minutes neither of them spoke.

For a 14-year-old, Tyson was pretty perceptive and he caught on easily to how others were feeling. He sometimes would tease his older brother about Annabeth just because the two of them had been best friends ever since they were little kids. Right now however, Tyson understood that teasing his older brother would not help in the slightest. Instead he asked again, "were you two arguing again?"

Percy took a sip of his soda and answered, "yes, and it was about Harry of all people. She is my best friend, but sometimes she truly frustrates me, especially when it comes to things like this."

Tyson smiled sympathetically. "Percy, I understand; I really do. But there is something else that you should understand. Not everyone is going to be as compassionate or understanding about this situation. Annabeth is just one of those people who just doesn't understand these types of situations because she never had to live through it or see it happen. In some ways she's lucky, but because she hasn't had to live through the situation that Aunt Petunia and Harry are going through at the moment, she can't see the reality for what it is for our family. I don't know if that helps or not, but you are not alone in this. It's understandable why you feel the way you do because you are one of the people who found Harry, but don't let it eat at you; that's dangerous."

"I'm not; it's just that I am a little worried about this regression therapy thing. I'm scared it's going to hurt him even more."

Tyson smiled back and answered, "I really don't think it will. You are just scared, and that's normal. Come on, let's go meet up with Mom and Dad. We are eating in the hospital cafeteria." And with that, Percy had no choice but to follow his younger brother to the basement cafeteria where their parents were waiting for them along with Mrs. Dursley.

"Where in the world have you two been?" Sally asked sternly. "We were looking all over for you."

Percy looked sheepish as he mumbled, "sorry Mom, we were just talking about some things and Annabeth is really frustrating me right now."

During that next week, everyone was busy. The divorce papers were signed and Petunia and Harry moved into the Jackson household for the rest of the summer. Dudley had also been taken away from Vernon and placed in a juvenile detention center that also had the added benefit of counseling. Dudley understood that he did wrong and he knew that he needed to pay for it. But Vernon on the other hand, went to a maximum-security prison with a 20 year sentence. As for the nine-year-old Harry, things were beginning to get very interesting to say the least.

Reviews are appreciated as long as you are being helpful.


	5. Chapter 5

I do sincerely apologize that it took me so long to update. I was on vacation for a couple of weeks and I am just now getting back to my normal self. Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters from Percy Jackson and the Olympians or Harry Potter.

Chapter 5:

Things were definitely interesting that summer. The nine-year-old Harry Potter, as predicted by Dr. Apollo, clung to his cousin Percy for almost everything. He was a little bit afraid of Tyson because of his size. Although Tyson was only 14, he was very tall for his age and his hands and feet were quite large and rough due to all of the manual labor he did outside and various projects he had going on in the Jackson's garage. The nine-year-old got over his fear quite soon as the 14-year-old proved to be very gentle with him. But, I can't say that it was always easy. Because, when Harry had one of his nightmares, the only people he would allow by his side were Percy, Poseidon, and Petunia. Out of all of them though, the little boy preferred Percy. Although this meant long nights for the teenager, Percy didn't care. All he cared about was that his little cousin was safe and happy; nothing more.

It was even more interesting when Dr. Lupin started coming over to the house to see Harry. The little boy was frightened at first because he didn't really know the man and because Dr. Lupin had a pair of eyes that didn't settle well with him. In fact, the very first time that Dr. Lupin came over to the house, Percy had to practically coax his cousin to straighten out and relax. This seemed to help a great deal, because Percy's voice was very familiar to the child. But as time went on, Harry was able to relax on his own.

There was a lot of work to do concerning the young boy and his therapy, but the family agreed to do whatever they could to help him. In a private meeting with Dr. Lupin, Poseidon even told him that if it meant that his nine-year-old nephew was to be a baby for a while, then he wasn't going to interfere with his progress; only help it along.

So, for the next few months, the nine-year-old Harry Potter was just that. His days were filled with people who truly loved him and cared for him. They held him in their arms when he had nightmares, they physically fed him when he got hungry, and because the abuse had rendered him incontinent anyway, they changed him whenever he needed it. It was pretty much for that whole summer that the nine-year-old was acting like a baby. He still couldn't talk to anyone yet, but he was slowly starting to trust the others around him. In fact, Harry had even allowed Tyson to take care of him one day when everyone else was off in Central Park. Harry couldn't go because he had somehow gotten very sick. And since Tyson didn't really want to go to the park anyway, he told his parents and his aunt that he would be more than willing to stay home and take care of his cousin.

It was a Saturday in late June and the weather was warm. Petunia, Poseidon, Sally, and everyone else was getting ready to go for a hike in Central Park and maybe even go to the zoo there. As it turned out, Percy was the only teenager that came. The family had been about to leave when suddenly the nine-year-old's crying broke the tension, or may be added to it. The women didn't stop what they were doing, but Percy, Tyson, and Poseidon realized right away that the child was in distress. Percy went to his little cousin and murmured softly to him; telling him that it would be all right. But when he noticed that Harry's cheeks were flushed, Percy placed a gentle hand on the child's forehead. "It's okay little guy," Percy said quietly, "you'll be okay. Will you let me take your temperature real quick?"

The little boy looked up at his cousin with sad green eyes and a miserable expression. "Percy, I'll do it," Tyson offered. "I don't really want to go anyway."

Percy smiled at his younger brother. "Are you sure you don't, Tyson?" Percy asked gently, "we'll be stopping for ice cream on the way home."

But Tyson just shook his head. "No, I'll be fine. Besides, this little guy needs someone to stay home with him anyway."

So that was that. The poor child had a fever of 101 and he felt miserable. But surprisingly, it didn't bother him when Tyson did anything with him. Harry was starting to realize that none of the Jackson children or parents would hurt him in any way. He was really starting to feel safe with them, but as always, his nightmares about Uncle Vernon and Dudley would haunt him. And it usually happened when the little guy was sick. Tyson did everything he could to help the nine-year-old feel better. He held him, he played with him, and he even let him cuddle up next to him. However, the nine-year-old just felt miserable all over and he could do nothing but cry. It also seemed as though something was really hurting the nine-year-old physically, and Tyson didn't really know how to fix it or make it better. So, all he could do was to comfort his cousin as best he could.

This meant feeding him bottles of warm milk to help him sleep and cooling his forehead. "Oh kiddo," Tyson mumbled to himself, "I know it's miserable. It was a very long day for Tyson, but he didn't mind. He loved his little cousin very much and he didn't like to see him in pain.

Meanwhile, Mr. Dursley was in a closed hearing in the New York City courthouse to hear the charges that had been pressed against him after his nephew was taken to the hospital severely injured. Petunia did not want to testify, but there were a lot of other people who were willing to do so. Dr. Apollo testified, and so did his twin sister Artemis. They both explained the conditions in which little Harry Potter had been brought to them. When they described how the nine-year-old had virtually been unable to speak and pretty much act how a nine-year-old should, it was extremely disturbing and sad. Even the pictures that Percy had managed to take of his little cousin were horrifying to see and it was because of those pictures that the judge had almost gave out a sentence for Mr. Dursley on the spot. However, because it was mandatory to hear both sides of the story, the judge was forced to hear Marge Dursley's side of the story and how she was telling everyone that Harry was a naughty boy and needed to be punished. There were many other things that she said, but I will not go into them at the moment. Either way, Vernon Dursley was found guilty of the charges and was sentenced to 25 years to life in prison for intentionally harming a child. Dudley meanwhile, was tried in juvenile court, and although he was found guilty, they only send him to a juvenile detention center for a few years so that he could learn to grow up and realize that what he had done was wrong and he needed to pay for it.

Back at the apartment, Tyson was trying to coax a very sleepy Harry to eat his lunch. The little boy must have been more tired than even Tyson had realized, because the younger boy just wasn't really responding to anything or opening his mouth. The nine-year-old was still not able to feed himself because of the brainwashing, but he was still able to feel hunger. And although he was extremely hungry, Harry was just a little too sleepy to do anything about it. "Come on little guy," Tyson coaxed gently, "you have to eat, buddy." But, all that Tyson was able to get down his little cousin's throat was a few bites of the puréed food that the Jacksons had bought not too long ago. They quickly realized that their young nephew was unable to eat solid foods as of yet because of the trauma he had received on his mind and body. They actually learned the hard way.

It was only a few weeks ago, but the memory was still fresh in everyone's mind. It was dinnertime, and since Percy was preoccupied with his own food, Poseidon took it upon himself to feed the nine-year-old. Harry ate the food of course, but for some unexplained reason, he could not keep it down and he managed to throw up everything he had eaten previously. At first everyone thought that the nine-year-old was sick, but he didn't look flushed at all. It was only a few minutes later that Petunia finally realized what the problem was and asked her brother-in-law to mash up or purée the nine-year-old's food before giving it to him because that was all that his stomach could handle as of right now.

Anyway, Tyson finally gave up and just held his younger cousin in his arms and allowed him to sleep for now.

When Percy and the others came home, Tyson had to ask them to keep it down a little bit as Harry was sleeping. Petunia and Sally smiled at each other and their hearts positively melted at the sight of their nine-year-old nephew asleep in the teenager's arms. Percy went over to his younger brother, but he was very quiet as he didn't want to disturb his little cousin. However, he couldn't resist taking Harry into his own arms and hugging him tightly. The younger boy's eyes fluttered open for a mere second to see who had a hold of him, but they grew shut again as the nine-year-old recognized his oldest cousin and burrowed deeper into his chest as he slept. Percy knew it was early, but he could tell that his little cousin was very tired, so without even being asked, Percy took Harry to his bedroom and allowed him to sleep in peace. But before he did that, the 16-year-old changed his cousin's soaked diaper and managed to put a clean one on him without even waking him up. Percy was surprised at this because Harry usually flinched and curled in on himself whenever anyone did anything like that with him. "My goodness kiddo," Percy mumbled to himself, "you must be exceptionally tired if you didn't even wake up for this." And every day after that was pretty much the same routine, until one day in late August.


End file.
